Slosh! Tank sealer

[stevejs]

I have been bedevilled by a mildly rusty tank which produces enough rust particles (despite flushing) to clog the Amal's filter and necessitate regular stops to clear the gunk. After much deliberation about the merits or otherwise of tank sealers I visited Draganfly, interrogated their very helpful staff and bought some Slosh and a bottle of acid to convert the rust to an inert state. I followed the instructions, rinsed thoroughly with the hose, dried the tank on the kitchen stove and applied the Slosh - again rigourously following instructions. It worked. No more crap. It claims to be unaffected by ethanol - time will tell. But for now, very pleased...and it filled a pinhole in the top of the tank which I hadn't been aware of.

[Greybeard]

I used POR15 for the same reason. Still good, 7 years and counting.

[stevejs]

While on the subject of the tank. I took out the existing taps which weren't great and bought some new taps. They were quarter inch so I also bought a three eighths to quarter inch reducer. So there's a fibre washer for the reducer and one for the tap. They're nice tight fits on the thread, but both taps still weep, seemingly from both the tank/reducer joint and the reducer/tap joint. I keep nipping it up, but to no avail. Any ideas?

[bsa-bill]

Any ideas?

Thread tape

[muskrat]

G'day Steve.
I use Loctite 565 on fuel & oil fittings and sump plugs. The fittings must be clean and dry, use sparingly and let cure for an hour or two before putting into service. Doesn't "lock" the fitting like red/blue Loctite so can be undone.
Cheers

[scotty]

👍 Por 15

For threads I use this stuff called Petro Tape

Thicker than your average thread tape and rated for water/ oil/ gas

Works for me

S

[BSA_54A10]

Back in the 70's & 80's for some strange reason it was just about compulsory for every old bike to have the tanks sealed.
Never saw a good reason for this and then from the 90's on I have seen so many bikes made unrideable due to tank sealer breaking down & blocking filters & carbs or even dissolving into the modern fuels rendering them non volatile.
Unless you are in a country where it snows and thus you get highly oxygenated winter fuels there is seldom a reason for sealing the tank.
A tank kept full can not rust because there is no water .
No water = no rust.
Once a year, run the tank dry then dry the inside fully to remove any water that may have condensed or been accidentially added and fill the tank .

[stevejs]

I needed to do something to counter the rust, made worse I understand by moisture caused by ethanol in today's petrol. I think the moisture in ethanol boosted petrol means keeping a full tank just makes the problem worse. And if you keep the tank full over winter the petrol will degrade and have to be chucked by the spring. Hopefully I can run the bike dry before the winter layup and put fresh petrol in the spring - without fear of rust. Providing Slosh is as ethanol proof as they claim, I don't expect it to break down. Thanks for the tips re. thread sealing. I tried ptfe but it was no good. I'll know what to do now.

[Greybeard]

A tank kept full can not rust because there is no water

My tank came back from the platers with light rust. I did what I could with nails and vinegar and also sealed the tank. I wasn't aware of the doom and gloom about sealers back then. POR15 seems to be well thought of and has stayed firm for 7 years since I applied it. Fingers crossed it will continue to stay put. I do not drain the tank over winter.

[JulianS]

To seal the joints I use Dowty washers also called bonded washers, rather than fibre, plus cheap PTF tape from local hardware shop on the threads. Dont get leaks. Some fibre washers can be a bit too hard to seal properly.

I applied "Slosh" to my tank 8 years ago, to deal with a number of pinhole leaks. It sealed them and they remain sealed so I am very happy with "Slosh".

[coater87]

 Over here the gasoline sealing pipe tape is yellow.

 They use it on the small air planes.

 It is thicker and heavier than the white stuff you get at a hardware store.

 Lee

[ironhead]

 I've used Morey's upper cylinder lube for years & before that 'Redex' & so far haven't had any rust problems, It seems to leave a very fine oily residue on the bare metal inside the tank as the fuel level goes down. ( plus does what it says on the packet). 2 stroke oil added at around 175:1 will help keep the rust down also & at that ratio there wont be any smoke.
PS I'm in no way connected to morey"s in any way shape or form.
All that said though ya gotta start with a tank with no oles.

 

[Rgs-Bill]

  MMO also works really well keeping any rust gone, it is $20. bucks gallon U S funds.  " MARVEL MYSTERY OIL  "  It also lubes the upper cylinder walls above the rings, just do not overdue it ounces to gallons, it will glaze the cylinders, especially if you have a very hot running bike.  The BONUS IS it keeps the crummy fuel we get  nowadays from turning to varnish and such crud, that plug up petcocks and carbys.  I use 3/4 of an ounce to 2 gallons of petrol.  I also always down shift on long down hills to next lower gear because it forces the rings out to the cylinder walls and breaks down any cylinder glaze build - up on the walls.